| Security and Intelligence Division | |
|---|---|
| Divisyen Keselamatan dan Perisikan | |
| 安全暨情报局 | |
| Ānquányúqíngbàojú | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | February 1966 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Parent agency | Singaporean Ministry of Defence |
| Security and Intelligence Division | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 安全暨情报局 | ||||||
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| Malay name | |||||||
| Malay | Divisyen Keselamatan dan Perisikan | ||||||
The Security and Intelligence Division (Abbreviation: SID) is an external intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defence of Singapore responsible for gathering and analysing intelligence related to the external security of Singapore. It is highly secretive as most of its personnel are known only to the high-ranking government and military officials.[1]
Most of its agents, recruited from civil service and some with military experience, work in branches of the government and in civilian organizations with relations to the government as fronts for their cover such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board.[1] A Director is in charge of the SID,[2] who holds a Permanent Secretary-equivalent rank and reports directly to the Minister of Defence and the Prime Minister.[3]There was also a post of Deputy Director, once held by Lim Chye Heng, although it is not known whether this position still exists.[4]
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The Security and Intelligence Division shares a similar background to its domestic counterpart, the Internal Security Department. The primary intelligence organ since the colonial era was the Malaysian Special Branch. With the independence of Singapore, the Ministry of Interior and Defence was directed to reorganize and consolidate all intelligence capabilities in January 1966. SID was subsequently established in February 1966 with Mr Tay Seow Huah being appointed as its first Director. Tim Huxley also wrote a short history of the SID in his book Defending the Lion City.[5]
In 1974, Director Nathan led a negotiation team to help resolve the Laju hostage crisis. He later became the President of Singapore.[6]
A highly secretive organisation unlike America's Central Intelligence Agency, information regarding its work is only released occasionally to the local media. For example, reporter Yap Chuin Wei interviewed an ex-official who stated that SID's role's were: Collection of Information, Analysis of Information, and Informal Diplomacy. SID was featured in Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's book, From Third World to First, where they played a part in providing weapons to anti-communist forces in Cambodia in the 1970s. It also played a role in the rebuilding of relations with Indonesia. SID officers hardly get public awards due to the nature of their work. Instead they are awarded a set of secret awards equivalent to National Day awards.[7]
Both the SID and its internal counterpart, the Internal Security Department were recently tasked to coordinate efforts to combat terrorism. They previously worked independently of each other.[8]
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| February 1966 | 1971 | Tay Seow Huah[9] (or Tan Boon Seng)[10] |
| 1971 | 1979 | Sellapan Ramanathan (S.R. Nathan) |
| 1979 | 1994 | Eddie Teo (张赞成)[Note 1][11][12] |
| 1994 | 14 March 2005 | BG (NS) Choi Shing Kwok (蔡承国)[13][14][15][16] |
| 15 March 2005 | 02 September 2010[17] | BG (NS) Chee Wee Kiong |
| unknown (possibly the same day BG Chee stood down)[note 1][18] | MG (NS) Ng Chee Khern[19][20] |